BEIJING - Snowstorms have started to weaken in Northeast China but some parts of the region can still expect heavy snow, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC) on Tuesday.

The blizzards, which left up to 34 cm of snow in Heilongjiang province and 15 cm in Jilin province by 5 am, are expected to gradually weaken in the next 24 hours, the center said.

The NMC continued to issue a blue alert on snowstorms, which are expected to persist in Jilin's central parts and Heilongjiang's central and eastern parts over the next 24 hours.

A cold front from west to east is expected to bring strong winds and a drop in temperature from four to eight degrees Celsius across most parts of the country, the center said.

Affected by the cold front, rain and heavy snow will fall in northern parts of Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Temperatures will drop by up to 12 degrees Celsius in Xinjiang, eastern parts of Northwest China as well as central and northern parts of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, it said.

China has a four-color-coded warning system for extreme weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.